A Worthy War
by waterlit
Summary: -AU- Lavi rejoins the Black Order at a time when defeat looms large. Together, the agents of the Black Order must work together to unearth the Earl's doomsday plot before all is lost. Even as the balance of life and death teeters, will Lavi be able to find his way back into Allen's heart? Lavi/femAllen and Kanda/Lenalee.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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**Prologue**

**Starring: Lavi/femAllen and Kanda/Lenalee**

* * *

_15 August, 2018. _

"Don't be absurd."

Lavi turned, his right hand reaching into his backpack, where he'd stowed away a weapon just in case. There was a tingle down his spine; it might just have been the aura of the place, though. The light was dim and wavering, and the flickering tongues of fire cast doubtful shadows on mouldy seaweed-green walls.

"Don't be absurd." The person – _man_, Lavi thought to himself – repeated.

Lavi rotated upon his feet, scanning the dim cavern for a new sign of life. Behind him, there were what seemed to be disembodied moans and groans racked with misery, but he ignored those for now. At last, he spied a figure sprawled upon a throne-like chair at the dais at the back of the cavern. A male figure, it was, with slicked-back hair.

"Remember me, Bookman Junior?" the man teased manipulatively in his gravelly accent. "I'm sure you do, _Exorcist_. So – don't be absurd. Stand and fight like a man."

"You!" Lavi gasped. His memories rose thick and fast in his mind, registering at once the tone and sound of the man's baritone. "Tyki MIkk!"

"Pleased to meet you again, _Exorcist_."

"You... I'm no longer affiliated with the Order. Don't trap me in your obnoxious plans." Lavi turned smartly on his heel and prepared to head out.

"Wait just a moment, _Exorcist_. There's something you might want to see, and maybe report to your chief." Tyki Mikk snapped his fingers, and more fires sprung up around the cavern, throwing the unearthly light into bouts of flickering.

Lavi paused, and turned slowly. "I told you, I am no longer affiliated – what is that!"

Upon the walls of the cavern were propped two crosses, and to each a man was nailed. Lavi could recognise the insignia on their pale uniforms: the mark of a Finder. He took a deep breath, feeling his blood pulsing within him. He had to act fast – they were in danger, he was in danger, the Order had to be warned, Komui had to –

"What do you think of my handiwork?" Tyki smirked, clearly enjoying watching the spasm of emotions that had flitted across Lavi's momentarily open face.

Lavi squarely pointed his gun at Tyki. "You murderer."

"I am no more murderer than you are. Now, my dear man, I might enjoy playing with you, but go now. I'm sure you have information to share with your superiors." Tyki said with another smirk. "Besides, you shoot me, you die. I will deactivate the gates and you will never leave this place even as the rest of us rot away."

"Mr Exorcist, please, just go." It was a raspy voice, the kind of voice that came from the throat of someone whose parched lips had not touched water in days. "Don't stay where danger lurks."

The paler Finder beside him nodded; his sunken eyes were dull and leaden with immeasurable agony. "Flee, Mr Exorcist, and hide from your doom."

Lavi could only stare in horrid fascination as the ochre-red blood continued to flow from the nail wounds in the Finders' hands. "Go? Flee?"

Then his survival instincts kicked in. Turning swiftly, he exited the cave and fled back to the safety of his own house, and padlocked the door behind him. He was panting, he noted absently. It was probably time to hit the gym again. But right now, he had an obligation on hand. A duty, rather, to an organization he had long since left – or to put it more accurately, the organization where he had left his heart and soul behind.

His house was empty and silent, and the ghosts of his past were weighing down on him. He could almost see Bookman standing outside his room, his heavy-lidded eyes radiating disapproval. _Do not lose yourself_, the old man had told him too many times. _Make a clean break._ But Panda was now sleeping in his eternal bed, and he could not stop Lavi. All those greying fingers stretching out toward him could not stop him.

He made his decision quickly. It was not an easy decision – but it was one that he had rehearsed many times before in his mind.

Sighing, he swung his wardrobe's heavy doors open, retrieving with some difficulty a black golem hidden deep within his underclothing. With an unwavering finger, he dialled the secret number and watched as the holograph appeared in front of him.

The picture was fuzzy, as if coated with the painful memories of the residual years, but gradually, the fuzziness disappeared. The line connected, and Lavi found himself face to face with Section Chief Reever Wenham, the strict taskmaster and direct assistant to the Chief.

"Lavi?" Reever asked. "My goodness, how are you? We haven't heard from you in so long –"

"Hey, Reever. I've got information for Komui."

"You do?"

"Mind connecting me to his line? It's darned important." Lavi smiled. His left eye, however, told a different story; its pupil was dilated. Reever could see the worry and fear lurking behind.

"Alright, just a minute." Reever's face grew bigger on the holographic screen, before it was suddenly replaced by Komui's grinning visage.

"Lavi?" Komui asked. "Reever said you have some news?"

"Some finders were killed in the town I live in. It's Tyki Mikk on the prowl. Just thought you ought to know."

"You saw them?"

"I was there. Trust me, you've all got to be careful. I think the Noah Clan may be on to you."

"Thanks, Lavi. We'll need a detailed write-up so you'll be able to speak to Reever later to get the details down pat? Mmm. Do you want to come back, anyway?"

"Come back? Nah, not me. Panda's gone, but I'm not exactly sure I'm welcome at the Order..." Lavi's voice trailed off as his thoughts retreated back to an afternoon some years ago, where he'd broken a girl's heart.

"We're really short of people, though..."

"No chance, Komui. No chance. I'm not likely to come back and break _her_ heart another time. I heard that she hasn't gotten over me."

"That's true." Komui sighed.

"If that's all?" Lavi replied nonchalantly.

"See you then, Lavi." Komui nodded into the phone. "Do take care. I'll transfer you to Reever now."

"Bye, Komui."

Komui switched the connection off and pressed the buzzer on his desk. Reever entered, looking none too happy at being summoned.

He stared at Komui. "What did Lavi want?"

"Lavi gave us some intelligence information. Get the details from him." Komui answered. Reever noticed that his supervisor's bright smile was gone, for the first but certainly not for the last time in the next few months.

:::

_20 August, 2018_

Kanda, Lenalee and Allen huddled together in a small hotel room just east of Atlanta; they were bored and cold and infinitely annoyed.

Grouchy as always, Kanda connected his golem and waited for the connection to the headquarters to stabilize.

"Komui?" Kanda called out when Komui's face appeared. "The trail's gone cold."

"Gone cold? Whatever do you mean?" There was an anxious undertone to Komui's voice.

"It's been some time since Tyki Mikk was here," Allen began, "and I'm afraid that – "

"What the Moyashi wants to say," Kanda interrupted rather rudely, "is that the dumb finders have messed up. All traces of Mikk's activities are gone and unaccounted for."

"That's serious."

"Anyway, nii-san, we did ferret something out." This time it was Lenalee briefing her brother, and her eyes shone with subdued excitement. "Before they died, the finders left behind a message for us."

"That's great. What's the message?" Komui asked, rubbing his fingertips together.

"Uhh. We haven't gotten hold of it!" Allen shifted uneasily on her perch on Lenalee's armchair.

"It's been taken away by some idiots," Kanda put in.

"We need to go to the weekend auction to get hold of the container," Lenalee added.

"Go, by all means! The Order will pay any amount, so long as you recover the message and bring us closer to destroying the Noah."

:::

_22 August, 2018_

It was slightly past eight at night when a man dressed in a tuxedo slipped into a back entrance of one of the many glass-panelled buildings in the city. Behind him, two women followed silently. The trio signed in at a booth beyond the lobby, before being escorted to their room.

The room was richly upholstered, with soft flowing carpets and luxurious armchairs.

With an annoyed sigh, Kanda pulled at his tie and crossed his legs firmly as he settled into the soft, upholstered armchair just before the laptop. Lenalee, in her designer togs, stretched slightly and sank down into an armchair beside him, eyes bright and wide. Meanwhile, Allen swept the room for devices that could transmit and record conversation. To her relief, she found none.

She made her way toward the last armchair, admiring the view from the glass-fronted room they were in. The room, bright and spacious, overlooked a stage where the auctioneer and his wares were.

The moment Allen had sat down in the last armchair, the auction began.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we are honoured to bring to you more pieces of top-notch works. First of all, we will start the bidding for the painting of an Old Master, Rembrandt. All who desire to purchase this item please enter your starting bid."

"It's not this, right?" Allen queried, hand reaching for a glass of water sitting on the plush, velvet-draped table beside her.

"No," Kanda grunted, sipping at the green tea in his ceramic cup.

"Sold!" The auctioneer declared, and the painting changed hands. "Now, we go on to the next item. This next item is a prized collector's copy of an old hymn book. All bids should be entered now."

"That's it," Lenalee said, leaning forward.

"We start at one thousand," Kanda leaned forward too, to enter their bid.

"One thousand dollars," The auctioneer read out. "Going once –"

The monitor before the auctioneer beeped, and he looked down. "There's another offer. Two thousand. Going once – "

"Three thousand," Kanda said, and typed it in. Meanwhile, Allen got up and strolled toward the tinted window.

"Three thousand," the auctioneer announced, his voice crackling through the intercom, "going once, going twice –"

The auctioneer's monitor beeped again. In that instance, Allen's heart skipped a beat, Kanda leaned back and cursed, and Lenalee gripped nervously the stem of her wine glass.

"We'll do five thousand." Kanda said, and entered the figure.

"It's Tyki Mikk." Allen announced suddenly, her eyes flashing. "I see a man in a top hat just opposite us."

"Tyki Mikk?" Kanda queried, trying to see past the tinted glass panels that lined their room.

"Five thousand," The auctioneer was growing impatient. "Now, six thousand from the gentleman in the Blue Room."

"Seven thousand," Lenalee said and pressed the _enter_ button.

"Shall I," Kanda growled, "just walk into the Blue Room and slaughter Tyki Mikk?"

"You have no reason to, Bakanda. What do you intend to do him in for – disrupting your purchases?" Allen remarked starkly.

"Moyashi, you obviously lack an understanding of our law. I could barge in and kill him for obstruction of justice." Kanda replied; his brows were furrowed.

"Guys, stop that – Tyki's bid is now eleven thousand." Lenalee put in. "We're at the losing end now. So what it'll be – twenty thousand?"

"Mikk's a rich guy. It probably wouldn't hurt his pockets to pay a million for this." Kanda informed them.

"Let's just go with twenty thousand for now, alright?" Lenalee punched in the bid without waiting for a reply.

"Twenty thousand, Green Room." The auctioneer paused. "Thirty thousand, Blue Room."

"Damn," Kanda said, his fingers twitching. "Forty thousand!"

"Forty thousand, Green Room. Going once, going twice, well, look – fifty thousand, Blue Room." The auctioneer beamed. "This is going to be exciting!"

"Sixty thousand!" the auctioneer announced after he looked down at his monitor again. "Green Room.

"Now the bid is up. Seventy thousand by the gentleman in the Blue Room!"

"Screw him," Kanda cursed, glowering. "This mission _will_ not fail. Eighty thousand!"

"Eighty thousand," the auctioneer announced, "going once, going twice, sold!"

"We've got it!" Allen cheered.

"But why?" Lenalee asked, puzzled. "Doesn't Tyki Mikk want it?"

At this moment, there was a quiet knock at the door.

"You don't suppose..." Allen's voice trailed off.

"Hands on your weapons." Kanda suggested, before walking forward to open the door, his own right hand cocked on his hip, hiding the butt of his pistol from view.

Upon the threshold, there stood an inconspicuous man in a sombre suit. Without further ado he handed over a box. "Your item, sir. The prized collector's copy of an old hymn book."

"Thanks." Kanda closed the door and placed the box upon the table draped with velvet. With steady hands he wrenched open the cover.

The hymn book was a beautiful piece of work. Kanda didn't stop to admire it, however. True to form, he studied the book with close precision and finally found the message.

"The Earl is starting to rise again. Beware." Kanda read. "So that's why Tyki Mikk let us have it. He was taking us for a ride."

Seeing Kanda's eyes glower, Allen shivered. Lenalee put a calming hand on his arm, and smiled. "At least we know that the intelligence is true. We can now put the necessary procedures in place."

"That's true," Allen sighed. "Let's go now. We won't gain anything by staying here..."

:::

_7 November, 2018_

"Good evening, my dear Noahs." The Earl grinned broadly at his apostles. "I am glad to see you all again."

Tyki Mikk stood up, his hair flying strangely in the stifling room. "They have brought the scroll back to their Headquarters."

"Good!" The Earl nodded approvingly. "Now the play begins. I will roll the curtain up, and you will all see the set I have been designing for so long."

"The Exorcists intend to investigate certain... events in Paris and in Italy in a week or two." Lulu Bell added, her dark eyes glittering strangely.

"Tyki, you head to Paris," the Earl barked. "And do you, Lulu Bell, head to Italy. Take as many Akumas as you wish. We here will await your good news."

The Earl grinned and brought his fingers heavily down on the piano keys. He produced a stark, unhappy sound.

"We will destroy the foundations of the world!"

He brought his fingers down again, playing a melody so disharmonious that it could scarcely be called music. "This is the taste of bloodshed."

(The Earl's smile stained the night red.)

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A/N: I had an urge to post something, but I haven't finished the next chapter of the fic I'm currently doing yet, so I posted this instead.

How was this? I felt it was somewhat choppy, but I can't be sure. I've never been to an auction before, btw, so the scene in the middle was based solely on my imagination.

Can't think of anything to add atm.

Reviews would be nice!~

And – thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing~

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**Chapter 2**

* * *

_7 November, 2018_

"_Good evening, my dear Noahs." The Earl grinned broadly at his apostles. "I am glad to see you all again."_

_Tyki Mikk stood up, his hair flying strangely in the stifling room. "They have brought the scroll back to their Headquarters."_

"_Good!" The Earl nodded approvingly. "Now the play begins. I will roll the curtain up, and you will all see the set I have been designing for so long." _

"_The Exorcists intend to investigate certain... events in Paris and in Italy in a week or two." Lulu Bell added, her dark eyes glittering strangely. _

"_Tyki, you head to Paris," the Earl barked. "And do you, Lulu Bell, head to Italy. Take as many Akumas as you wish. We here will await your good news."_

_(The Earl's smile stained the night red.) _

:::

_17 November, 2018. _

Lavi flipped the envelope in his hand, his hair still dusty from the time he had spent rummaging in the attic. He had had to sort out Bookman's belongings; a month and more had passed since the passing of his grandfather, and it had been time to clear out the remnants of bad memories and the source of nightmares that lurked in the damp corners of the uppermost storey.

Recently, too, alone at night in his bed, he had begun to be jostled awake by the recurring dreams of wide, empty eyes and blood-red wrists nailed to wooden crosses. His dreams mostly revolved around the scenes he had seen and imagined throughout the past year or so.

In fact, his experience in the cavern with Tyki Mikk had been a strong catalyst for his strange behaviour.

Right now, the loneliness was getting to him, and he was thinking of returning to the Black Order. The letter currently in his hands was very much a trigger. It had come from Lenalee, and it had spurred his desire to return to the place of his youth.

_Dear Lavi, _it read,

_I don't know if you'll ever receive this letter, but I still think I should post this to you. Please read it before you toss it into the bin, alright? There're important things in here that you should know about. _

_We've written dozens of letters to you over the years, but you've never once replied. I fully believe that you have a good reason for it, and this is why I'm writing this final letter to you. _

_First and foremost, Kanda and I are holding our wedding reception a little more than one month from now. We want to invite you. Between you and me, I'll tell you that Kanda really does miss you. You were always his sort-of best friend and well, I miss you too. Please do come to our wedding! I mean, we all grew up together, and if you decide not to come, we'll be mad. Please?_

_Second thing: maybe it's about time you returned? You know we could make do with a couple more exorcists, especially those with experience. _

_The last (and not the least) thing is that we think – okay, Kanda says it's only me who thinks that – Allen misses you a lot._ Oi, baka usage. You girlfriend's moping for you! You've ruined the past six years of her life; don't you give a damn about it? _Sorry Lavi, that was Kanda. You know how unfriendly he can get sometimes. But that's about the same thing I wanted to tell you. Get off your high horse and come back! Allen needs you. You ruined her chances at happiness six years ago. Now come back and teach her to laugh again. _

_Let me tell you what really happened. We glossed over the facts in the past letters we sent, but now it's about time to tell you. Perhaps this will jolt your guilt. _

_When you left, Allen became depressed. She used to stand by the huge gates in the hall and watch the mail with eagle eyes. After a while, it became apparent to the rest of us that you'd truly left for good with your grandfather, but Allen waited. She stood at the doors every single day, waiting, hoping and praying. _

_After a few months, she finally realised that nothing was coming. She stopped eating, and you know how thin she already was. She practically became a skeleton. Kanda threatened to kill her if she didn't eat, but she merely stared blankly into space. It was really troubling to see her that way. _

_She was not deployed on missions for some time due to her condition. During her infirm period, she saw Suman more often. You remember him? _

_It started off with innocent games of chess. Allen was a good player back then, and Suman loved to play with her. After some time together, they had a fling. I'm sorry to say that Allen didn't stop herself even though she know that Suman was married. All she wanted was someone to care for her. To show concern. All she needed was someone who could take your place and heal the ache in her heart._

_She started to recover bit by bit, and her colour returned. On our first mission together, we went past a city in Italy. On her reconnoitre mission, she found Suman fighting to the death. By the time she reached him, he was breathing his last. She tried to save him, but he died before we returned to the HQ. _

_After that, it was as if she'd lost you all over again. She refused to eat or talk and the nurse had to put her on a drip. That was when we found out that she was pregnant. But even that didn't rouse her, and that was scary because she'd always been one to embrace life, and she was always the one who vowed to keep on walking no matter what. _

_She's been better after she gave birth, though. She still cries herself to sleep every now and then, but little Mana's presence by her side has eased her pain somewhat. _

_Make your decision, Lavi. Come for our wedding. Come back and reclaim the happiness you discarded all those years ago, and come back for the sake of Allen, if you still love her. _

_We hope to see you at the HQ soon. _

_Love, _

_Kanda and Lenalee. _

Lavi refolded the letter and placed it back among his treasured possessions. He had received this epistle right before his grandfather's funeral. The servant had thrust the innocent-looking envelope into his hands as he sat upon the floor of his grandfather's room, trying to absorb the shock he felt at Bookman's sudden demise.

The letter was like a scythe; it'd cut him emotionally at all the correct places. Lenalee was still a master at writing such manipulative letters. And more importantly, it opened up a new road for him. With his grandfather dead and buried, he was free to go his own way and to carve his own life.

And to see Allen again... it felt like the summer breeze had waltzed into the winter of his misery.

Besides, the Order must be short on exorcists. Just that morning, he had read an article in the daily newspaper about the mysterious murder of a man, one Daisya Barry.

**Emo punk killed in dark alley**, the headlines blared, and Lavi had choked on his morning coffee. Daisya Barry – an ex-colleague of his – had been found lying in a pool of his own blood, his limbs smashed beyond recognition, and his left kidney mysteriously missing. The newspapers reported that he'd been a nobody, just an Everyman who had the misfortune to be out on the streets during a gang fight.

Lavi knew better, of course. It had to be Tyki Mikk, or at the very least, the doing of someone of Tyki's ilk.

Lavi's insides trembled at this travesty, but he realised that it might be time to return to the fold.

And so Lavi picked up his golem, and dialled the one number he had never deleted.

:::

_18 November, 2018. _

Kanda and Marie burst into Komui's office, all weary and tired, their hair matted with blood and other questionable body fluids. On the sofa to the right sat Allen, Krory and Lenalee, with expressions suitably serious.

"What happened?" Komui queried; his voice was not quite steady.

"We've been betrayed," Kanda stated, his dark eyes glowering. "The Noahs knew we were about to arrive."

"_You are going to Paris," Komui told Daisya, Kanda and Marie. "There are certain events we wish you to investigate. You know what I mean."_

"_This mission," Komui hastened to add, "Is a top-secret one. Two teams will leave for different places; Tiedoll's unit will leave for Paris, and Cross's unit will head to Italy. Tell no one where you are going."_

"_Why not call the generals back if the mission is so secretive?" Daisya asked, curious as always. _

"_To call them back would be to invite suspicion. Anyway, you all are very excellent fighters," Komui said, dismissing them. _

Marie nodded, and so did Allen.

"We were separated from Daisya," Marie told Komui softly, "and the golem connections were disrupted. The assault they had lying in wait for us was too heavy. Poor Daisya."

"The same thing happened with us," Allen interrupted, "the Akuma came at us like leeches drawn to blood. We escaped lightly, luckily."

"I wonder who let loose our secret plans." Komui nudged his spectacles up his nose, his eyes glinting.

"Finders," Kanda growled.

"It might be so," Komui agreed, rubbing his temples. "I'll have to inform the head of that department and have a good long talk with him. Now go take a rest, all of you. Lenalee and Kanda, stay behind. I've something to tell you two."

:::

_20 November, 2018_

"Look." Allen motioned to Kanda. "It's him. Him again."

Kanda shifted his head slightly to observe the man, who had swaggered in oozing confidence. He was now standing by the lift, all ready to board the elevator to his room.

"The mole's in the right place," Kanda affirmed, standing up slowly and stretching leisurely. "I'm going up. You know what to do."

"Go on." Allen nodded and leaned back in the chair, eyes swivelling with practised ease over the lobby. "You should go now."

Kanda stepped smartly across the floor of the reception area, joining the stranger at the elevator landing and bestowing on him a contemptuous glance. When the lift arrived, both men stepped into the lift. Kanda appraised the other man – tall, mole beneath the left eye, dark and curly hair and yellow-golden eyes. This had to be Tyki MIkk, infamous pundit in the art of assassination. Their long-time target, so to speak.

"This hotel's facilities are good, don't you think?" Kanda addressed Tyki somewhat stiffly.

"Not bad." Tyki nodded, busying himself with tinkering with his smart phone.

"I wonder why there're so many guests at this time of the year," Kanda stated, his eyes watching Tyki's face.

"I wonder why too…" Tyki said mildly.

"I'm here on a business trip. You?"

"Let's just say that I'm here on a business trip too, my dear sir."

Kanda nodded coolly in response to that, and watched as the elevator doors slid open for Tyki to make his exit. Kanda was puzzled, and he wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. Fumbling with his golem, he growled at Allen.

"Moyashi. Target confirmed. Tell Komui to deploy the necessary... troops. I'm coming down now. Hold on – no. I'll go inform Komui myself. You watch the lobby."

:::

"Kanda, do you think we should tell Allen about Lavi's homecoming?" Lenalee queried somewhat nervously as she sat by her fiancé later on in the day.

"Leave the matter be," Kanda advised quietly, his eyes trained on his bowl of soba.

"But..."

"Isn't that what Komui told you to do?"

"It is, but I still think Allen should know."

"Best not to interfere."

"But –"

"Shhh. Here comes the Moyashi."

Allen nodded at the duo as she sat down with her breakfast. "How are you two feeling?"

"Che. Our observations went to waste – Mikk didn't meet up with anyone. How happy can I be?"

"Kanda! Don't be mean," Lenalee chided, and then turned to Allen. "I'm quite nervous for tomorrow, but it seems like Kanda here isn't."

Lenalee pouted; Allen laughed. _It feels almost like the old days_, Allen thought, _except... except that La-Lavi is missing_. At that moment, a painful clenching of her heart begun, and she couldn't think straight. Miserably, she delved into her food and resisted all of Lenalee's attempts to draw her into conversation.

"Allen's quiet today. She's thinking about Lavi, I can tell," Lenalee whispered sideways to Kanda.

Looking irate, Kanda shook his head. "Don't tell her. It's better not to tell her about Lavi; she might go ballistic."

Alone in her own gloomy corner, Allen ate and thought and bled inside till she had no strength left to even eat.

:::

The wind was in their ears, and their feet were on fire.

Their target was running far too fast for them to catch up, and behind them, Lavi could hear soft footfalls that sounded far from familiar. Their predator was catching up, and now, they had only one choice: either to fly, or to fight. Flying was not an option; their target was still nearby, and they couldn't risk his death. Fight was a better option, perhaps.

The footsteps inched nearer; they were cold and quiet against the silent night.

Looking behind, he caught a glimpse of a flying black cloak, but it disappeared as they reached a walled compound.

Lavi frowned. "Where's the suspect got to?"

"Behind you, Lavi!" Allen shouted and blended into the limpid pools of darkness.

Lavi twisted his head by a tiny fraction, and saw the shadow splayed across the wall. He whipped out his gun and cocked it.

"You're dead, Exorcist," the shadow spoke, and out came a tall, lean man. He cocked his gun too. "We'll see who ends this game."

"I'll win it," Lavi assured him, oozing self-confidence. "I've never lost a bet yet."

"So you think, Exorcist. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be all mangled and no one will ever find out what happened," he paused and shot a malicious glare toward Lavi, "to _Lavi Bookman_."

_He knows my name! _Lavi was shocked, but he merely brought his gun closer to his face, aiming at the target's chest. _One hit, and we can go home._

"Dream on!" The man laughed, before releasing a shot in the general direction of Lavi's head.

Lavi ducked sideways to escape the incoming bullet, and was rewarded with hearing the loud destructive commotion the bullet made as it whizzed right into a metal trash bin. Regaining his balance, he rushed at his adversary, circling him with cool precision.

At that moment, Allen rushed out of the shadows and pointed her gun at the dark-skinned target. "Drop your weapon!"

The man whipped around. He grinned, showing off rows of perfect teeth. "A girlie, too? How interesting. You'll look beautiful together lying in a pool of blood. The two lovers!"

He started laughing, the mouth of his gun still aimed at Lavi's head. All of a sudden, with surprising agility, he spun his gun round to face Allen, his fingers at the trigger. Lavi started and rose. It was now or never, and –

"Oompf!"

Lavi looked down, startled out of his reverie. A little boy had run into him. His eyes softened and he smiled to see the boy's mother turn and run from the opposite side of the room. The woman had a familiar head of white hair. It couldn't be...

:::

_25 November, 2018._

"Mana!" Allen called, sighing as she watched her young son collide with a pair of well-tailored pants.

She stood up wearily, rubbing at the ache inching its way into her bones, and crossed the room as quickly as she could in stiletto heels, trying her best not to break into a run. By the time she reached her recalcitrant son, the stranger on whom the fashionable trousers hung had turned around.

Kneeling, Allen admonished Mana. "I told you to stand there Mana. Why did you run away? Now say sorry to this gentleman!"

Mana pouted, but obeyed his mother. "Sorry, Mister."

"It's all right," the stranger said.

His voice was familiar, much too familiar. It made Allen's heart clench up against her ribs; it was a waft from the past, a distant memory waltzing in on the wings of the breeze.

It was Lavi's voice. A voice she had once associated with fun and love and joy, but now those memories were tinged with the bitterness of abandonment, and the nightmares of dark, empty abysses.

But it couldn't be. He'd left her high and dry all those years ago, never once bothering to write or call or... but it was much too familiar.

Allen looked up as her heart continued to twist itself into a knot of tangled hope and anger.

"Allen?"

"You... you came back."

"Yes, I –"

"How _dare_ you come back! Turning your back on us all those years ago, and now you come slinking back? You dare!" Allen shot her words at him, arms tingling. She wanted to slap him hard, to tell him how much his departure had affected them all. How it had affected her.

"Mama?" Mana queried worriedly, and tugged at Allen's slacks. "Don't fight with the man; you said it isn't gentlemanly to fight."

Brought out of her growing anger, Allen glanced down at her son, and gave him a tiny smile. Lavi took this as a good sign, and he grinned at her.

"Don't grin at me, Lavi, as if we were best friends." Allen enunciated each word carefully, letting the words slide off her tongue with acid flavouring each word. "Good day."

She grabbed Mana, and marched off, her heels clicking smartly on the polished marble floor. A flabbergasted Lavi was left behind, his mouth agape and his feelings shattered like broken glass.

Round the corner, Allen slid open a wooden door and entered a softly-lit room. Sitting Mana on an armchair near the door, she made her way over to where Lenalee was sitting expectantly on a divan before the fireplace.

"Lenalee!"

"Allen! You made it back in time! I'm so sorry Komui sent you out early this morning." Lenalee smiled and set aside her flowers, patting the seat beside her.

Allen settled down and took her friend's gloved hands into her own. "It's okay. Somehow had to do the perimeter sweep."

"You look pale. You okay? Found something suspicious?"

"No," Allen said. She patted Lenalee's hands. "Congratulations, Lenalee. I'm so glad you two are finally tying the knot. It's been so long! And you'll be happy, I'm sure, even with Kanda behaving like the idiot he really is."

"Thank you, Allen-chan. I hope so too. May your dream partner come along soon, too!"

"You know I will never be able to resurrect my old dreams, Lenalee." Allen sighed. "Speaking of dreams, why is... why is Lavi here?"

"Ohh, Lavi. We invited him." Lenalee paused and watched her friend's face. She noticed that Allen's eyes were a little puffy at the sides, and that her mascara seemed a tad splayed out. "Do you mind?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Allen reassured Lenalee through her own mounting indignation. "I'll head out now, then. Best grab a front row seat so I can see you two married nice and proper."

"Oh, Allen! You know we saved one of the best seats for you."

Allen tentatively tried to laugh. Succeeding, she picked Mana up. "See you later!"

:::

"Sit here, Mana. Don't squiggle in the seat, alright?" Allen tucked her son neatly into the chair, and then sank down next to him. "We don't want to spoil Lenalee and Kanda's wedding."

"Lenalee!" Mana grinned toothily. "I like Lenalee!"

"Uh huh."

"Why're they getting married?"

"Because they love each other."

"They love each other?" Mana's eyes grew round and wide. "Did you love Daddy, then?"

"Love him?" Allen's question echoed in her mind, swamping her with memories best left buried. "I don't know, Mana. I don't know."

"Mummy, don't be sad!" Mana tugged at his mother's sleeve. "I'll be a good boy now."

But the tide had started flowing, and the waters were rising. As Allen smiled down at her son, she felt a great wave rise within her, threatening to engulf her. The edges of her eyes were slightly moist by now, and it was great relief that she saw Komui settle in right next to her.

"Morning, Komui."

"Morning, Allen-chan. Have you seen Lenalee? She looks so beautiful today." Komui started to tear.

Allen laughed and fished out a tissue from her black purse, offering it to Komui. "Don't cry, Komui. Lenalee wouldn't want to see you bawling on the happiest day of her life.

"That's true, but... she's so beautiful and sweet and how could I let her go to that brute of a Kanda?" Komui looked ready to dissolve into another bout of tears, his hands clutching desperately at his white beret.

Knowing how much trouble Reever had gone through that morning trying to soothe Komui's latest fears, Allen thought she should hide her own troubles and help Komui succeed in not crying. "Komui, Kanda will treat Lenalee like a rare jewel. And even if he's nasty to her, you know she can fight back, right?"

"That's true." Komui sniffed into the tissue. Soon, the sounds of his sniffling were drowned out as the doors of the chapel opened (to the beat of the drums) to reveal Kanda and Lenalee.

At the podium, Reever called for attention, before finally announcing that the happy couple were going to start walking down the carpeted aisle.

Lenalee was strikingly beautiful that day, and Kanda was pleasantly smiling for once. But neither of them held Allen's attention for long.

Long after they had passed and moved toward the podium, Allen's eyes remained trained on the seat on the pew opposite hers, where she spied Lavi, a slight smile drawn on his face. He seemed to be looking at the couple as they took their matrimonial vows, but in actual fact, Allen could see that he was looking at the shrivelled rose petals lying on the faded ground.

The feelings of hurt and misuse and abandonment rose to the surface again, and Allen snatched her gaze away from the forbidden fruit. She looked again toward the front. Lenalee and Kanda were kissing (it was strange to see Kanda kissing) and Komui was sobbing his heart out.

* * *

A/N: Idk if Allen seems somewhat OOC – would a femAllen ever have a child out of wedlock?

So… thanks for reading. Please do tell me what you think of it, if you don't mind. All reviews (criticism, praise, suggestions etc) would be welcome (:


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing~

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_At the podium, Reever called for attention, before finally announcing that the happy couple were going to start walking down the carpeted aisle. _

_Lenalee was strikingly beautiful that day, and Kanda was pleasantly smiling for once. But neither of them held Allen's attention for long. Long after they had passed and moved toward the podium, Allen's eyes remained trained on the seat on the pew opposite hers, where she spied Lavi, a slight smile drawn on his face. He seemed to be looking at the couple as they took their matrimonial vows, but in actual fact, Allen could see that he was looking at the shrivelled rose petals lying on the faded ground. _

_The feelings of hurt and misuse and abandonment rose to the surface again, and Allen snatched her gaze away from the forbidden fruit. She looked again toward the front. Lenalee and Kanda were kissing (it was strange to see Kanda kissing) and Komui was sobbing his heart out. _

:::

Lavi scratched his head and decided that he felt supremely bored. He'd unpacked, decorated his room as best he could, added a few old photographs to the wobbly desk and stacked his books and notes in neat piles.

There was nothing he could do now, in the stuffy little cell that was his new room. It was, he noticed with some affection, the same room he had had when he was last a member of the Order.

The walls were still plastered with what seemed like red paint – that must have been the remains of the murals he'd tried to paint before. He'd been forced to cancel that project when Reever smelled paint and traced it to his room and, with a horrified gasp at the sweeping red vistas on the walls, told him in no uncertain terms that defacing the Order's walls was strictly _not_ allowed.

He got up and stretched, smiling at the memory.

_Too bad Yu's left on his honeymoon, _he thought_. Otherwise I'm sure we could have had a tonne of fun together. He must have missed me over the years! _

Not one to dwell on frustrating matters, Lavi wrenched his door open and walked out, joy written in his face. It felt good to be back, to return again to his old home. He'd had so many pleasant memories in the old labyrinth, and he was happy to rediscover its hidden, aged secrets once again.

It was here, he thought to himself as he strolled past the training rooms, that he'd watched Allen and Kanda stage their routine deadly fights. It was here, he recalled that he and Panda had trained when the latter was still alive. His eye started to water, but he took a deep breath and continued on to the deserted cafeteria. Jerry was nowhere to be seen, and neither were the very hungry Allen Walker and her son.

And it was here, he grinned to himself as he opened a secret stash of bottles at the far end of the pantry, that he'd once gotten himself so intoxicated that Panda refused to speak to him for an entire week. Slamming the door shut, he laughed freely, and breathed in the living air so full of reminisces and happy memories.

And then he stopped, aware of a presence in the room.

"There you are, Lavi."

"Johnny?" Lavi gasped and smiled. Johnny looked the same; he still had the same hairdo and the same gigantic glasses, and the same warm smile upon his face.

"It's good to see you back. We've all missed you, especially Al-"Johnny paused mid-sentence, aware of a slip of the tongue. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "The Supervisor wants to see you...and after that i have to measure you for your new uniform!"

"Still as much of a workaholic as before, I see." Lavi laughed. "Let's go."

"I'm warning you, Lavi, the Supervisor may try some funny tricks on you. He's been hammering away in his office the past few days. We just hope it isn't a new robot."

"Oh, he's still making the Komurins, then?"

"He is! We just destroyed the latest one two weeks ago. Now that Kanda and Lenalee and Allen aren't present, he might just try to construct another one..."

"Where," Lavi tried to keep his voice steady, "did Allen go?"

"Oh, she's above us right now."

Lavi, perplexed, threw a questioning glance at Johnny. "Eh?"

"She's monitoring things at the hotel. You know, the one where the wedding reception was held just this morning."

"Monitoring?"

"Right. I'd forgotten you don't know about it! We built the hotel a year after you left to provide us with a better cover. It's pretty popular, the hotel. Bak Chan says he feels more like a businessman with every passing day than a scientist. We use it as a spying base."

"That was pretty smart of Komui, to think of something like that." Lavi remarked.

"Yeah. And it's a real money spinner. And the best thing is, the Noahs don't suspect a thing. They see it as the best hotel in town."

"The facilities are that good?"

"Yeah. We have spas, bars, high-end dining services, escort services, excellent room service blah blah blah. The list goes on." Johnny nodded emphatically.

"Escort services? And bars?" Lavi smiled. "That sounds interesting. Maybe i should visit it someday..."

"Exorcists aren't supposed to, you know. I don't know why either, don't look at me like that."

Lavi shook off his sad face and chortled, relaxing as his feet sank into the carpet, the smells of home sweet home enveloping him.

"We're here." Johnny pushed Lavi into an enormous and highly untidy room.

Inching his way through a labyrinth of papers, Lavi spotted the desk at which the Supervisor Komui Lee was sitting. Sleeping, to be more exact.

Reever barged in at that moment, shaking Komui. "Wake up, Supervisor! Lavi's here for his briefing!"

Komui's beret slid over his eyes, and he straightened out, eyes glinting as they opened. "I was _not_ sleeping, Section Chief Reever. Welcome back, Lavi! It's been a long time."

"Hey, Komui. You... look the same. You even act the same," Lavi teased.

"Ahem. Get out, Reever. I'm briefing someone here?" Komui hinted and glared at his subordinate till the latter exited. "Now, Lavi, much as I don't want to do it, I still have to give you the talk."

"The talk? As in, the birds and the bees? Nah, I don't think you need to give me that talk. I'm a mature and fully experienced adult, for goodness sake! And Lenalee's happily wedded to Yu, so I won't be hitting on her. So, uh uh. I refuse to listen to your talk.

"Not that talk, Lavi. Though if you want it... the talk I'm giving you is about the Order's rules."

"I know them," Lavi insisted. "The Black Order was founded to deal with the recalcitrant Noahs, and their leader, the man who calls himself the Earl of Millennium. They're a sort of doomsday cult, rejecting god, quoting the many afflictions on the world as a reason why they think god does not care for them.

"We who constitute the field agents of the Order are officially known as Exorcists, though if caught and interrogated we are to name ourselves as Agents of the government. The noble aim of this Order is to put down the Noahs. Yada yada."

"You remember," Komui said, very impressed. "And, don't glare at me. It's down in my contract that I have to tell each new recruit this."

"I'm not a new recruit."

"Technically, you are, though."

"Supervisor!" The intercom buzzed at that moment.

"Yes, Section Chief Reever?" Komui answered.

"Allen requests to speak to you."

"Alright."

"Komui?" A frantic voice came through. "I need backup. I'm going to trail Skin Boric and I can't go alone. And he has what looks like explosives on him!"

"Hmmm." Komui rifled through papers on his desk. "Miranda should be free now. I'll send her down."

Komui motioned for Lavi to sit while he continued searching the case files on his cluttered desk. Before long, a knock was heard, and in stepped Miranda, clad in the official black uniform.

"Allen will be here soon," Komui told her vaguely, his hands gesturing for her to take a seat. Walking over to Lavi, she smiled shyly at him.

"Good to see you back, Lavi!" Miranda beamed.

"Same here, Miranda!" Lavi kissed her on the cheek.

"Ahem." A small cough resounded at the door, and in came Allen, ready and armed.

"Komui, I'm ready to set off. Miranda?"

"Remember the rules, you two," Komui reminded them. "I don't think, though, that you two girls should go alone. Maybe... Lavi should go with you?"

Lavi started, but kept his intense gaze on Allen as he slouched across the couch. Allen cast him a glowering stare and pursed her thin lips. "He hasn't had practice in years! He could break the mission..."

"All right. Go safely and return soon!" Komui said, smiling softly. "We'll all be waiting for you two to return. Be safe!"

And the two ladies were gone in the blinking of an eye.

"By the way, Komui," Lavi queried suddenly, "do we still have to run for trains the way we used to? You know, the underground channels and such things?"

"Ha!" Komui exclaimed, looking very pleased with himself. He wagged his finger at Lavi. "The truth is, no! But that's only when you people need to move rapidly or any scenario to that effect. Otherwise, it's still row and run and jump."

Lavi groaned.

"Now now Lavi, don't groan. It's bad for the digestion." Komui gave him a suspicious smile. "Since you're quite free now, you can look after Mana."

Komui drew Mana out from behind him – Lavi had no idea how the child had gotten behind Komui's lab coat without his seeing it happen, especially since Bookmen were highly observant people – and thrust the boy into Lavi's hands.

"See you around, Lavi!" And Komui took off back to his messy domain after pushing the two out of his office.

"Hey!" Lavi yelled after Komui, but the Supervisor was long gone. He sighed and squatted beside the boy. "Hello!"

"Hi. Are you my daddy?"

Lavi paused and gasped. He flailed his arms. "Me, your daddy?"

"Uh huh," Mana said. His grey eyes were wide open and confusion danced in them.

"I'm not your father," Lavi told the boy. "Your father's name is Suman Dark, but I'm Lavi."

"Oh, so you're _the_ Lavi!" the boy exclaimed and waved his gloved hands excitedly.

"_The_ Lavi?" Lavi was starting to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"Yesh!" Mana's grin grew wide as he attempted to remember what he'd heard before. "That's what Lenalee and Kanda called you!"

"Oh, Yu actually called me that?" Lavi wondered aloud.

"They said you're real fun!" Mana concluded. "I want to play!"

Lavi scooped the boy up and tossed him upon his shoulders. "You can ride me! Let's fly to the stars."

The boy chuckled, and Lavi concluded that he was made for domestic life. Sort of.

:::

It took Lavi a whole five minutes to close the door of Mana's little room and walk to his own, even though the two rooms were only separated by three other doors. He was tired, and he felt old. His limbs were aching with a vengeance, and his joints needed oiling. He was growing old, he thought sadly, and leaned against the wall.

The day had been a long one, and it seemed like a decade's worth of pain and sorrow and happiness had been squeezed into a single night-day cycle.

His heart had run the full gamut of options. It'd sped up obligingly when he first saw Allen in the morning. She looked almost the same –as young, as youthful, as innocent as the day they first met in a hospital room many miles from the Headquarters. It'd been glad to thump with giddying speed as he saw Kanda and Lenalee, his two best friends from a time when books were little more than sweet companions.

Catching up with the rest of his once-comrades, he felt as if time had stood still for them, while he had been ravaged by its cruel clutches. Even the walls looked the same; the very same green slime coated the same segments of walls, and the dark, mournful tapestries still greeted him as he walked down the hall that afternoon.

Everything and everyone had seemed to have been preserved perfectly by time, as if to torment him with old memories and to shower him with joy that he was stil allowed into their world. Except Allen. She had suffered doubly, so he guessed and so he had been told.

And she had changed.

:::

Allen killed the engine of their car and stepped softly out. "Ready, Miranda?"

"If you are."

The two women blended into the shadows, hiding in the dim silhouettes and trusting them to conceal themselves.

"Target is about a hundred metres ahead of us," Miranda told Allen quietly. The breeze ruffled her hair, and Allen could the wavy tendrils dancing amid the shadows.

"Detonate or attack?" Allen consulted her partner.

"Let's watch him first, maybe?"

They settled behind several dustbins in the alley as Skin Boric, murderous fanatic and cult elder, thumped a sack down outside the mouth of an innocuous shop, standing there with his hands tucked into his pockets until another man came ambling out of the shop. The exchange was furtive, and the duo could see little of what was going on.

"Who should we follow?" Miranda asked tentatively.

"I think..." Allen paused and thought. "We should follow the explosives and destroy them."

After Skin Boric had walked off without noticing their presence, the two sneaked into the shop. They saw the man lock the devices into a little room at the side. When he turned his back and retreated into a backroom, they stole out and Allen started picking the lock with paperclips she fished out from a pocket.

It was tough, but nothing she couldn't handle. She'd picked sufficient locks in her life to be able to do it even with her eyes closed. Or one eye closed, at least. She was almost done when footsteps were heard. The man was coming back.

"Hurry, Allen!" Miranda urged, her pistol held at the ready in the event that she needed to shoot.

With a satisfying click, the lock opened and the two agents crept into the room, shutting the door gently behind themselves. Allen reached in front of her and flicked the switch on. As the lone bulb in the middle of the ceiling came to life, flickering slightly, they realised that they were in a room filled with explosives and a single laptop.

Allen headed for the laptop, sweeping it for fingerprints.

"I think the explosives aren't activated. They're probably just here for storage." Miranda concluded after studying the sacks of explosive material, her gloved hands closing the plastic bags into which she had placed all observable traces of human life, like hair.

"Are you sure?" Allen asked doubtfully, her brow wrinkling as she tried to gain access to the laptop's network. "This isn't working. i can't figure out how to swipe this computer's network relationships and all other private data."

"It's not the ordinary...?" Miranda stopped her own work and peered over Allen's shoulder. "Have you tried checking Komui's 101 booklets?"

"I know those booklets by heart. There's nothing in there that could have prepared us to deal with this."

"Why don't you just dial HQ?"

"That's right! Thanks, Miranda!" Allen turned to her golden golem, and dialled the Headquarters. The static blurred the images at first, but gradually, Komui's grinning face came into view.

"Oh, it's you, Allen! What's the matter?"

"We followed Skin Boric to an old shop-house, where he left the explosives. We're in the storeroom now with the explosives and Miranda's checking to make sure that they're not going to fuse anytime soon."

"That sounds good."

"No, Komui. We've found a laptop here too, but I can't figure out how to access the data within. I'm sure it's got stuff we may need."

"Oh, you mean data such as the people in the cell."

"Yes."

"Well, the basic thing to do is –"

"Nah Komui I've tried the basics."

"Well, how about you try to..."

A full half hour passed as Komui tried to help Allen crack the codes. After a painful thirty minutes, Allen gave up. "Why don't we just lug this back?"

"That's a good idea! As long as you don't think they will notice its absence any time soon." Komui told her. "Head back now. Be safe, and keep away from observing eyes."

"Let's pull out..." Allen told Miranda tiredly.

"Do we bring these with us?" Miranda queried, her eyelids drooping. It's been a most exhausting search through the sacks of explosives.

"I think one sack would be enough. They'll send finders here to get rid of the rest after they've analysed the samples we take back."

"Got it."

Allen went to the door, the laptop tucked into a waterproof bag. She held it open for Miranda, who ran out with a single sack slung over her shoulder.

Outside the room, the air was stale and the moonlight was petering. The man was asleep in another room – they could hear his snoring loud and clear – _thank goodness, _thought Allen, and they hurried back to the car. It was going to be a long drive back.

_But all the same, I will strive hard,_ she thought. _I will never let my comrades down, nor let them suffer._ She thought of Daisya Barry, his athletic legs crushed under him, and her heart burned with fury. _I will walk on, and help create a better world._

:::

_27 November, 2018_

"So Lavi, how's it going?" Komui asked, bending over to get a better view.

"I'm about done. Cracked the codes and all, and I've got the list of contacts for this cell. I just need to snoop a bit more, and then we can start sending in the troops."

"Good. Reever and the rest have had a look at the explosives and they're generating a report now. With any luck, we'll be able to send our finders over with an exorcist or two by this afternoon."

Lavi nodded absently, his fingers running along the keyboard, typing in commands complex enough to make even Komui perplexed. Komui continued staring as Lavi drew up table after table and list after list. Neither noticed the slight footsteps of one young lady who stopped at the door.

_Of course._ Allen thought to herself. _The prodigal star hacker has thankfully returned to the fold. _

She snorted softly.

"I'm done!" Lavi threw his hands over his head and whooped. "Here, go print it or something, Komui. You can go run checks on these people and these warehouses now!"

Allen grimaced from the door, as Lavi turning, saw her and flashed the victory sign. She turned her heel smartly and marched off, her brow furrowed.

It was a stinging feeling, that sense of accomplishment he'd displayed a few minutes before. It was disconcerting, to say the least. She wasn't the least bit jealous that his intellect and programming abilities were miles better than hers – they specialized in different areas, after all. What did disturb her, though, was the slight squiggle in her stomach when he'd grinned at her.

She was supposed to be holding a fierce, unrelenting grudge against him for all the wrongs he'd done to her. She might be nice, friendly Allen Walker, but that didn't mean she had to befriend every single person in the Order. Lavi could be the exception to the norm.

Frowning, she decided not to mull the matter over. For all she knew, it might even lead to her forgiving the jerk.

:::

"Hey, Komui. Why're you so free? I thought you had to supervise the raid?" Lavi asked as he took a seat next to the chief in the canteen.

"Reever's doing it!" Komui announced happily.

"Poor Reever." Lavi swirled his juice. "What happened to Allen?"

"Oh, Allen? Why, I sent her out with the finders a couple of hours ago. She's one of our best agents, so who better to oversee the chaos?"

"Why don't _you_ ever go?"

"I'm too precious to go." Komui countered. "The Chief's identity is kept secret as much as possible among outsiders."

"Are you sure!" Lavi pulled a face.

Komui decided to ignore him. "Lavi, I've got something to tell you. You know, you've just rejoined us, so you're probably not too familiar with the current state of affairs. You need to start training hard from now on."

Lavi groaned. "Must I? I'm plenty fit as it is..."

"Of course you must. You'll have to go help out at the hotel for some time each day from tomorrow onwards too, to get a hang of how things are done. Bak and his people will teach you well, don't worry. As for a revision programme for your agent training... none of the generals are around right now, so Allen will be your instructor when she gets back."

"Allen?"

"Yes, her." Komui rose hastily. "I need to go now."

"But Komui – "

"Chop chop." Komui rushed to the door, his white coat billowing. He grinned at Lavi before disappearing around the doorway, his voice echoing in the empty corridor. "Don't forget your schedule!"

* * *

A/N: So. How was this?

Thanks for reading and reviewing and all reviews are greatly appreciated!

And… Web: I do appreciate your honest feedback and I'm sorry that you find this Allen to be rather needy. I suppose you can see it as a baptism of fire she had to go through when Lavi sort of betrayed her? Idk haha.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own DGM.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Komui decided to ignore him. "Lavi, I've got something to tell you. You know, you've just rejoined us, so you're probably not too familiar with the current state of affairs. You need to start training hard from now on."_

_Lavi groaned. "Must I? I'm plenty fit as it is..."_

"_Of course you must. You'll have to go help out at the hotel for some time each day from tomorrow onwards too, to get a hang of how things are done. Bak and his people will teach you well, don't worry. As for a revision programme for your agent training... none of the generals are around right now, so Allen will be your instructor when she gets back."_

"_Allen?"_

"_Yes, her." Komui rose hastily. "I need to go now."_

"_But Komui – "_

"_Chop chop." Komui rushed to the door, his white coat billowing. "Don't forget your schedule!"_

:::

_28 November, 2018_

It was cold when Lavi woke the next morning; the chill had crept under his nightclothes and snuggled up to him under the sheets. His toes were tingling and so were his fingers, and his nose ached. Staggering up, he found his way to the door, only to slip on an innocuous piece of paper that had been slid under the door.

_Dear Lavi, _

_Please report to Bak by 8am sharp today. It's a good day for working hard!_

_KL. _

Lavi groaned. He was cold, he was hungry, and he was supposed to go to work?

Oh, and he was late.

The clock on his mantelpiece said that it was but ten minutes till eight. Luck _just_ loved him.

He did reach the lobby in the end.

"Lavi." Bak Chan frowned and rapped his knuckle on the banister against which he was leaning. "You, my good man, are late."

"I know. I'm sorry, Bak," Lavi told the hotel's CEO sheepishly, running a hand through his red hair.

"It's the first time, so, I'll forgive you. Just this once. Now, you need to be familiar with this hotel; you need to be able to navigate through this whole building. Did Komui tell you this?"

"Uhh, no?"

"Just like him to forget." Bak paused. "Anyway, you need to know the secret routes, the escape routes, the ventilation system routes and the room numbers. This allows us to conduct real-time spying, or observation, of our guests, especially those who have links to the Noahs."

"So what am I doing today?" Lavi asked genially, slightly excited.

Bak flipped through a notebook in his hands. "You'll... you're down for concierge duty today. And... get the uniform."

"Where?"

"Lou Fa!" Bak snapped his fingers, and the mousy girl hovering nearby rushed over, nearly tripping. "Get Lavi the concierge uniform and then bring him to the station and explain the details."

The bespectacled girl beckoned, and Lavi followed her to a closet nearby. She handed him the uniform – standard white shirt and black pants – and a coat? He gaped at it and transferred his gaze to the girl. She didn't respond, merely choosing to stare at the ground.

"Uh, Lou Fa? Is the coat necessary?" Lavi queried.

"Ye-yes." She nodded, her face flushed.

:::

Mana wobbled into his mother's room, bored, hungry, and lonely. He wanted his Mummy back – where was she?

Crossing the ground of her treacherously messy room, he stumbled upon an old diary. It was usually placed deep inside a trunk she hid under her bed, but in her haste to leave for her latest mission it had been left on the floor.

Mana picked up the old book; it had a musty smell to it, as if it lived still in old memories and clinging dusty years. The faded black cover was worn and dotted with what looked like it might once have been tears.

The little boy flipped the book open and tried to make out the words. He could read his alphabets.

"I. W. A. S. H. A. P.P." His finger traced the words as he read the alphabets out.

_30 July 2011_

_I was happy yesterday. Really, really happy! Being happy is not something that comes easily to me – I've about two-thirds of Cross's debts left to pay and he's probably racking up more right now – but, Lavi confessed to me yesterday. We were resting after training, and I swear I beat him hands down, and there was lemonade. _

_Anyway, he suddenly looked over from where he was sprawled on the ground, grinned and then grasped at my hands. And confessed. It was sweet; he told me he would never rack up debts and then make me pay, and then offered to help pay off my guardian's debts. I refused of course – how could I do that? _

Mana did not understand a word of it – he flipped the pages again.

_26 Dec 2011_

_Christmas is over! Lavi and I took a long ramble out along the coast yesterday. I've never really liked the coastal area here; it's so bleak and dreary and so lonely. It's almost as if all the lost souls gather here to mourn their misdeeds and lack of judgement. _

_The snow is sparse this year. Lavi says it's a sure sign of good luck for the next year, but I don't really believe him. I've heard that sparse snow indicates something else, I just don't remember what. _

_I'm sidetracking again. Lavi and I walked the entire length of the seaside moor, and he told me that he's never seen anything as lovely as my white hair against the violet sky. He might have just been saying something to make me happy, but... I was happy to hear it. It feels almost shameful to admit this, but it's true. _

Mana again ruffled through the pages.

_December, 2012_

_It's been some time since I had time to write; the missions are piling up. I haven't had much time to spend with Lavi recently. _

_Sometimes I wonder if we're growing apart. Lavi looks at me with an empty expression sometimes. It's fearful to think of being separated from him. _

The next page he looked at was equally boring to his toddler's eyes.

_March, 2012. _

_Isn't Lavi coming back? Every day, I stand at the gates looking out. It's cold still, and the wind blows hard till my nose feels like it's going to fall off, but there's still no sign of Lavi. I miss him so much,so much. Komui refuses to send me out on missions. He says I need to start eating more again first, but how can I, when every moment I spend eating is another moment lost from waiting for him?_

_He did say he would come back. I don't want to think that he's going to break that promise. I don't want to... I thought I'd found family at last. _

_December, 2012. _

_Suman's dead. I can't believe it. The two men I love are both gone. Suman's death was tragic, and it hurts, but so does the ache that Lavi left in me when he left without saying goodbye. _

_I hate this world. _

_My poor, poor child. _

:::

Lavi yawned and reached for the towel. He was cold, hungry and tired, and he wanted his dinner. It'd been a long day at the front desk, serving demanding guests (more like monsters, he personally thought) with only a silent companion nearby.

Lou Fa had condescended to tell him the basics of watching the guests, and had pointed out one who she suspected of being an Akuma. The term, he recalled, was used to refer to those who worked as spies and servants for the Earl and his Noah.

He'd watched her send a quick message to the finder department, who would soon take care of investigating the suspicious character. That, however, had been the only interesting thing that had happened the whole day.

Towards evening, Bak had appeared again, thrusting his schedule at Lavi and ordered him off to the gym. It wasn't really that bad an idea; over the years, Lavi's toned body had largely disappeared. With a shrinking feeling, he remembered how Kanda had looked no different from the lean and fit swordsman he'd been all those years ago.

Lavi glanced down at his own roll (albeit a small roll) of fat and sighed. He really needed to get to the gym more often. The cardio cycle hadn't been pleasant, since he'd stopped running about four years ago, and the weights session had left him utterly drained.

:::

_29 November, 2018. _

The next morning, Lavi was almost late again, but this time, it was because he'd waited for little Mana to finish having his breakfast before he slipped off to his duties. The day passed like the previous one, only, there were no suspicious characters that day. At the very least though, he was pleased to note, he was no longer paired with the girl Lou Fa. His partner today was a tall male named Rikei, who was friendly and chatted with Lavi most amiably.

After his duties were done, Lavi headed to the gym again, and following that, he stepped into the training rooms for the first time in many years. He picked up many weapons and trained with them – he tried out the basic sword routine, the archery, the rifle course and the pistol practices. Last of all, he walked over to the weapons cabinet, and with great joy, found his favourite weapon of old – a worn hammer.

:::

_5 December, 2018_

Lavi stood alone at the concierge desk, his green eye alert. Lou Fa had disappeared to use the toilet, but she was certainly taking her own sweet time because she'd been gone for close to half an hour. Lavi sighed and sank back into the chair.

Then Allen Walker walked into his line of vision. She was in heels and lipstick and a tight uniform that left Lavi reeling from the impact.

"Strike!"

Allen turned and her eyes were cold as she took him in. He almost hid under the table, but decided not to. Instead, he stood up and bowed to Allen and the Finders behind her. "Good afternoon, ma'am. May I take your luggage?"

"No."

"Alright then, ma'am. This way, please."

"Thank you," Allen told Lavi somewhat stiffly, the ghost of a frown hovering on her face. "You are supposed to be at the training room tonight, 9pm sharp, for some customer service lessons. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lavi suppressed a shiver as Allen walked on. _Have I done that to her?_ His heart bled inside.

:::

At 9pm exactly, Lavi stood outside Training Room A. He didn't want to risk Allen's wrath on the first day of his lessons. She arrived in seconds, giving him a curt nod. There was no sign of recognition in her once-familiar grey eyes

"Today, we will do the basic elements. I hope you have not forgotten them. Bak told me that you've started on your exercise routine, so I shall assume that you can carry that out yourself. Unfortunately for me, not other exorcists are available at the moment to train you, and this unpleasant task falls to me."

"Alright, Allen-chan, no biggie."

Allen threw him a frosty glare, before she proceeded with her lecture. "You have many things to relearn. We'll start with... we'll start with basic stealth and combat lessons. Then we'll go on to the finer elements."

They spent the next hour in arm-to-arm combat, the basic kind, and Lavi did not much enjoy it because Allen beat him every round. There was once he managed to wrestle her to the ground and sit on her abdomen, but it didn't last very long because she'd recovered quickly and thrust him head-first onto the ground.

"Practise," Allen said, and swept out of the room.

Lavi rubbed the sore bits of himself and grumbled. He'd deteriorated big time.

:::

_14 December, 2018._

On this day, they moved on to armed combat.

Lavi complained that Allen wasn't being fair at the end of the first lesson, simply because _you've got a real sword and I haven't_ and all Allen deigned to say was _are you an idiot Lavi? Because if you can remember, we don't really use swords and hammers in real fighting. We use guns._

:::

_22 December, 2018_

This was the day Allen started training Lavi in the use of artillery. He proved to be a good student, because he hadn't forgotten how to shoot.

She smiled at him, for the first time since they met again.

It was also the day Kanda and Lenalee returned from their honeymoon, and the Order was in raptures because Komui declared it a no-work day.

:::

_29 December, 2018. _

"You've got to know how to track your target," Allen lectured, "so that he doesn't know you're there. You cannot lose sight of him, but you mustn't let your presence be known. Also, you have to watch out in case he has a partner."

"Got that." Lavi nodded.

"Are you sure, Baka Usagi?" Kanda asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"When did you come in, Yuu-chan?" Lavi asked, grinning widely. "I missed you, darling!"

"I told you before not to call me that!" Kanda's hands went to his sword but Lenalee, who had come in behind Kanda, pushed his hands away from the sword's sheath.

"We came to watch your retraining," Lenalee told him, smiling widely.

"Lenalee! You're positively glowing. I didn't know Kanda could make a woman that happy…"

"Lavi!" Allen called her class back to order. "You are going to undergo the simulation exercise now. We will be watching you from here. Go on."

Lavi then walked into a curtained recess to put on his battle gear. He managed to put on the latest uniform - black, with red patterns – and came out. Allen nodded, and thrust a stun gun into his hands. "You may use that to shoot at your targets if need be. But remember, no wrong movements, or you'll fail."

Lavi crept stealthily to the door and into the next room. It was night, in the room, and the crescent moon sailed across the starry skies. _Such clichéd decorations_, Lavi thought. _I wonder if Allen designed them. _

And then he didn't have time to wonder about the identity of the person who had designed the simulations because right at that moment a shadow crossed his path, before the silhouette fled from him. His instincts from before kicked in; right away, he took after the shadow, trying his best to stay in the shadows himself.

Leaping from dim spot to dim spot, always aware of his target's own fluid movements, Lavi once again relished the excitement of missions. This was how life should be lived, with adrenaline pumping through him, surging through his bloodstream and engulfing him whole in excitement. Why had he chosen a path that led away from this pure bliss?

And then the target was nowhere in sight. Lavi hastily came to a standstill, his arms tucked tightly against his body as he crouched in the hostile shadows amid a bush. He wasn't supposed to have lost the target – he had lost his focus. Damn, he thought, I should have paid attention! Now he didn't know where the target was, and any time soon he might feel the metal nozzle of a gun lying against his skull.

Sure enough, he heard the slightest hint of breathing to his right. Before he had time to spin around and unleash his own weapon, a woman dressed in a nude and purple uniform had cornerned him. Oh, he was a goner.

Lavi breathed deeply to regain his composure; he was about to be killed by this woman with orange hair and what could he do to escape? There was a heavily blocked path leading from the bush, and with fair chance he might be able to clear his way across. There was a chair over there, and maybe he could – he blinked.

The lights came on, and Lavi rubbed his eyes, realising that he was still in the simulation room. Then he heard the soft click of heels, and Allen rounded the corner just as the holograms vanished.

Allen nodded to the woman. "Fou," she greeted.

"This one needs more work," Fou told Allen dismissively, "he forgot what he was running after.

"And he was panting after a while, I heard him. You," Fou said, her finger poking at Lavi's abdomen, "need to train more rigorously."

"You forgot one of the most basic rules when chasing a target," Allen chastised. "It could cost you your life!"

"Why don't we show him how he's done? He looks like he's forgotten our old training." Kanda entered the room, smirking all the way.

Fou nodded and left the room to prepare. Meanwhile, in the outer room, Kanda and Allen changed into their battle gear and loaded up their weapons of choice. They then entered a different room through a separate door.

"That room's the real training room," Lenalee told Lavi. "It's where the simulation is as close to reality as possible. Those things you see in there aren't holograms; they're real obstacles."

"Ohh." Lavi's voice was flat. He hadn't come to terms with the fact that despite his superior memory, his physical prowess and skills had deteriorated.

"Yeah, let's watch them through the monitor."

Out in the training room, Kanda and Allen staked their positions amid bushes, instead of standing out in the open the way Lavi had at first. Allen's revolver was already out, and she was clutching it to her chest, finger on the trigger, all ready to fire. Kanda crouched next to her, his sword strapped to his back – much as he loved Mugen, he knew that using it and it alone would spell doom for him unless the situation did not involve firearms. Meanwhile, his right hand held a stun gun, simply because he wanted to knock his target out sufficiently to have him at sword point.

Then something flitted across their field of vision; it was hard to tell because the target travelled through the terrain with practised ease, her movements much more fluid then when she'd helped to train Lavi. Her dark cloak melded into the darkness, and only when the moonlight came through could she be seen at infrequent intervals, and even then, she was still hard to spot.

But that didn't seem to perturb Allen and Kanda. They jumped after the fleeing shadow, weapons always held at the ready. Kanda, always kept his eyes in the direction of the shadow they were trailing, but from time to time, Allen would turn her head and scan the surroundings for signs of other targets that might be in league with their main target.

Soon, the two entered a dark alley, leaping with practised ease over a low wall and then blending into the shadows as they crouched below a magnificent patch of shrubbery. Their target was now out in the open, walking down the alley as if she thought that she'd thrown her assailants off the trail. Kanda and Allen gave no sign of their presence, and Kanda signalled to Allen with his stun gun.

Without warning, Kanda launched himself from the protective shadows he'd hidden himself in, and leapt toward the cloaked figure, pressing the stun gun's trigger the moment she turned around. The target crumpled to the ground, limbs folded and seemingly weak.

"Be careful," Allen shouted, "handle with care!"

"I know, Moyashi." Kanda replied, his hair fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze blowing around them. He bent over the woman lying on the ground; by now, he had unsheathed his sword and was pointing it at their target's neck.

"No!" Allen shouted, and kicked up a ruckus as she sprung to face the other target who had suddenly caught up with them. Flinging herself at him, she kicked at his vital areas and with an ungodly howl the latecomer dropped his gun and hopped around on one foot.

Allen plunged forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, tackling him to the ground before sitting on him. She got her handcuffs out.

"Simulation over!" Lenalee announced, and then the lights came on again.

Lavi watched in awe as Allen got off her prisoner and chuckled when he saw a most disgruntled Chaoji emerge, his spiky hair all mussed up. Meanwhile, Kanda extended a helping hand to Fou, who groaned and sat up, rubbing at her temples and her sore joints.

"They're good," Lavi said, still in shock.

"I know." Lenalee smiled. "The two of them together are a team to behold."

"I thought… Kanda and Allen didn't get along well."

"They didn't, but their relationship has improved the past few years. They tolerate each other now, though sometimes I think Kanda sees Allen as the little sister he never had. They work together really well – there's nothing like that pair. When they go on missions together it's sure to succeed."

"You aren't jealous?"

"Should I be? It's an asset to the Order, I think, and I'm happy if my friends are. And anyway, I know that Allen doesn't have that kind of feelings for Kanda. She's still reeling from the tragedies that have clouded her life."

Lenalee's large eyes bored into Lavi's, as if reminding him that he was one of the people who had brought tragedy into a life already dotted with misery. Lavi looked down, unable to meet Lenalee's eyes. He was guilty, he thought, of spoiling another's dreams and hopes. He was the villain here…

"Can you remember doing all these before?" Kanda asked as he re-entered the main room.

"I have a feeling I can, but I need more practice."

"You need to practise, no doubt about ii." Allen snorted and fastened a cold stare on Lavi. He noticed how her eyes hadn't changed over the years; they were still clear and the same shade of gray he'd last seen, but they were now laced with the sorrows of the years, and hardness lurked behind, stirring again the guilt in his breast.

"I will."

"Try to master it soon," Allen sighed. This time round, her eyes had softened, and weariness sat on her brow. "The Earl's moving his forces and building them up. The play… has started. How tragic. "

:::

_4 January, 2019_

"Good morning," the self-styled Earl of Millennium said.

He thumped on his wooden pulpit, beaming widely as his portly self stood before his congregation. The Noahs were all there, and so were the members of the cult who were lower down in the hierarchy.

The noises died down, and soon, everyone gathered in the large room was looking at the Earl.

"We are come today to commemorate a special day."

"Is it something exciting, Master Millennium?" Road asked suddenly, standing up from her seat.

"Yes, Road dear, but sit down for the moment. As I was saying, today, we come together to listen to the words of Lucifer the saint, and to realise the plans for the future, dear friends. It is said that man fell to suffering through sin, after Eve and Adam partook of the forbidden fruit from the forbidden Tree. This is why we are on earth now, suffering, in the throes of despair; women die from childbirth, disasters continue to strike the surface of the earth, and men die in the flowing years."

The Earl pounded on his pulpit. "But I say to you, we can overcome this! Dear friends, in the name of the real God I command you to forget the blasphemies of the fake God who sits and watches as we go throw hell on earth. The real God loves us, and I am his prophet! Come to me, my flock, and let us believe in salvation – it is coming! The real God intends to bring about the destruction of this world, to free mankind from the unkind and heavy chains of the fake God. We have to aid him in his quest. Destruction shall be our motive, as we strive for entry into a higher and holier realm! Do you hear me, ye people of the faith?"

"We hear you!" the congregation chanted, mesmerised.

"Let us now break the bread and partake of the red wine. When we see the blood of unholy humans flowing like the wine you now behold, then salvation will surely come."

"Earl," Tyki greeted, rising from the benches as the Akuma rushed as a body to participate in the symbolic activities. "Why'd you call us here? You know some of us don't ever come for your sermons."

The Earl laughed, ruffling Tyki's hair, before addressing the congregation at large. "We are now holding a special council meeting. All members of the Noah council please step into the meeting room!"

Slowly, the Noahs trickled into the next room, and the Earl closed the door behind them.

"Sit," the Earl commanded gently. "As you may have realised from my sermon, I am contemplating… starting the play."

"Really, Master Millennium?" Road asked, her wide eyes barely concealing her interest and joy.

"Yes, dear child. The prologue is over, thanks to the hard work of Tyki-pon here. Now, the first act will soon start, and the Order will crumble, as it should have all those years ago."

"Master, when do we start? I am always ready to do your bidding," Lulu Bell chimed in, her expression unusually severe. There was no smile on her face as usual, but her eyes were hard today, with no hint of their former softness.

"Hmm. You will each have to deal with one of those pesky exorcists…" the Earl muttered to himself.

"We want in!" Jasdevi chanted together.

"And we have to train the Akuma…" the Earl continued, as if he hadn't heard the twins. "I'm sure someone will get down to it. Maybe you, Sheryl?"

"I'm glad you place so much trust in me, Earl, but… I have a country to run!"

"Oh, that's true. We'll decide that at a later time, then. Right now, I want to go over the plan with you. Look at the cards you have been given – those are the exorcists you need to remove from the face of this earth. At the same time, we need to continue destroying the world according to plan. This is the busiest time, my Noahs!"

:::

_8 January, 2019_

"You're really hungry, aren't you?" Lenalee asked, amused, her large eyes laughingly tilted towards the scene before her. "I swear you're almost eating as much as Allen!"

"I… have been working hard!" Lavi argued, all the while spooning mouthfuls of bacon into his mouth. "I have a duty to keep myself healthy, Komui said."

"Since when did you listen to him?" Lenalee returned a little mockingly.

"Pnow." Lavi's voice was almost indistinguishable from the chewing sounds emanating from his mouth.

Then he choked; Mana had poked him from behind in the stealthiest manner possible.

"Someday that boy will be as good as Allen," Lenalee mused, reaching over to pull the boy to her side of the table. "Sit down, Mana."

"Where's Mummy?"

"She's on a mission. Be patient, Mana, she'll be back in a few days."

"I want Mummy."

"You can play with Uncle Lavi!"

"I have lots of work to do!" Lavi looked mortified.

But no one heard him, because Lenalee was now playing cat's cradle with the boy in a bid to distract him from his mother.

"I shouldn't have come back to this hell," Lavi told himself, consoling himself with a spoonful of soup.

:::

Later in the day, as Lavi finished his uneventful shift as a waiter at the restaurant, Lenalee stopped by the counter and beamed at him.

"Hello Lavi, leaving already?"

"Yeah. I'm done for the day." He hung his apron up and replaced his bandana on his head. "Why?"

"Because it's time for your training!"

"But Allen's not here!"

"I'm your temporary teacher."

"Don't you have to train?"

"What did you think I was doing the whole of today?"

"Aren't you tired, then, Lenalee?"

"This is nothing compared to missions, you know. Come on, we've got to get you into tiptop shape! We're badly in need of exorcists. Another one –Tina Spark , remember her? – "

"No. Who's she?"

"Who _was_ she, you mean. I'm sure you remember her. She was from General Cloud's unit." Lenalee grimaced slightly, her well-shaped lips curving downwards. "They found her dead lying in a pond, half-decayed and moss-eaten, with her kidneys gone."

"Oh." Lavi paused before the training room, his mind returning to the dying finders who yelled for him to escape even as they bled, nailed to wooden crosses. A tiny whisper of hate and anger rose within him, biting into his heart. His courage railed against the indignities of their lot, and he growled.

"We have to accept it though," Lenalee said softly, her eyes wet.

"Another part of your world gone."

"Mmm. But I was never that close to Tina, so… it's not that painful. But it seems like my world is crashing down around me."

"You seem so strong all the time, Lenalee. Sometimes I envy you for that."

"I have to, to keep my world together. Allen's very strong too, always optimistic, she is. She doesn't smile quite so often, but she still sacrifices much more than anyone else."

"I can understand that." Lavi looked out the window, glancing briefly at the setting sun. The orange rays were dancing across the land, chasing away the shadows that lurked in the quiet eaves of the world. But soon, he knew, those glorious rays would disappear, their beauty slowly fading until the darkness swallowed them whole, and what was once beautiful would be sullied with the taints of evil unmatched.

"Come back to earth, Lavi." Lenalee waved her hand before Lavi's face, chuckling slightly, her cheeks still moist from her earlier almost-outburst.

"Ehh?"

"Today, I'm going to go through with you the ways of differentiating Akuma members from normal people. Of course, Allen's the best teacher for this course, but she's not here, and you should know this. We'll do some physical combat after that, and we'll call it a day."

"Oh, sure. I can't remember there being such a course before."

"I don't think you ever went through it before. Allen devised it a couple of years back. Okay, so look. Usually they slink around with twitchy ears and all that, and they tend to look around a lot." Lenalee switched on the projector in the room (Lavi hadn't noticed its existence till then) and pointed at the screenshot.

"So, Lavi, I'll let you view a couple of videos we've taken of Akuma to see if you can identify the normal characteristics."

"I… am bored."

:::

Later that night, when Lenalee was finally done with him – and boy, her lessons were far less interesting than those Allen conducted – Lavi made his way to his room. The night was dark, and the clouds were hanging thick in the sky, and rather unfortunately, Lavi took the wrong turn and couldn't find his room.

Once he realised the fact, which he did after entering a room crowded with disturbing relics such as a bloodied axe, he backed out of the room and went down the corridor, occasionally inserting his head beyond unlocked doors to try and figure out where he was.

One door opened to reveal a room that shocked his memory; it was the same room he imagined night after night during his exile in France. Apart from the little boy lying on the floor, the room had changed little over the years. There were still drawers and cabinets labelled as "debts" and "snacks" and the painting of a clown still hung opposite the door.

Lavi stepped softly into the room, his heart light again as he was transported back in time, to when he and Allen were still young and love blossomed easily in their innocent hearts. He had spent many happy hours in this room, just talking to Allen on days when they were free from the never-ending missions. They would cuddle up to each other, and he would tell her tales, _of when the world was young, and the grass was green, and the moon maiden went in search of love, and the cowherd found her and took her to be his, and they lived happily ever after. _

How long ago those days seemed, now that he thought of it; those days were hiding in his memory, whispering to be let out. Lavi smiled slightly, the crooked shadows falling softly around him.

Bending over Mana, he quickly lifted the child up onto the mattress that was laid beside the bed. The poor boy had a hard time of it, his mother gone so often. Lavi sat by the mattress for some time, stroking the dark hair that waved about the boy's head. This was the son that could have been his, had he not upped and escaped from the uncertainties of life.

"Uncle Lavi?" Mana had woken.

"Hey, Mana. You're awake."

"I almost thought you were Mummy at first," the boy yawned.

"I saw you sleeping on the floor."

"I do that sometimes, Mummy says. She worries about me when she has to go off…"

"You poor thing." Lavi patted the boy's shoulders sympathetically.

"I get used to it." Mana nodded into Lavi's stomach. "Uncle Lavi, can you tell me a bedtime story? It gets boring having to put myself to sleep almost all the time."

"Sure. Which one do you want to hear?"

"Any one would do." Mana yawned again.

"I'll tell you a story of a boy and a girl, and the years they lost between them."

* * *

A/N: Happy (belated) new year!

So - a few days ago, I found the long-forgotten working document for this fic hiding in my laptop and have decided to revive it. It seems decent enough, though there are plot holes aplenty. Hopefully my writing has matured in the intervening years and maybe I can do some hearty editing and writing with the material that exists right now.

Sidenote - I can totally see the Earl as a cult leader. What do you think?

As always, thanks for reading, and any comments/suggestions/criticism would be welcome (:


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